[ ADOLESCENCE MOKUSHIROKU: MOVIE REVIEW ]

Reviewed by: Kristine
Rating: 95%
Japanese - Subtitled.
Some nudity, homosexuality.
Friday, August 25th, 2000.

There were two things wrong right before I went in to see the movie, Adolescence Mokushiroku. I had a massive stomach ache and my feet were tired as hell from walking all the way from the convention centre to the theatre (don't even ask why I didn't take he bus). That aside, I settled in to be taken away by the wonderful world of Utena. So how does the movie rate up to the likes of the anime and the manga series of the same title? Well, I'll try and cover it in three parts.

• visual
• sound
• story
• final verdict

VISUAL
Visually, this movie is quite stunning. Most other reviews rave about the quality of the animation because simply put, it is probably the best or one of the stronger aspects there is to the movie. It is the wonderful animation that catches the eye and makes you stick with the movie.

Admittedly, there were a few choppy scenes here and there, but beautiful sequences throughout the movie more than make up for those drawbacks. Famous sequences such as the waltz that Utena and Anthy share on a starry night portrays the dream-like atmosphere throughout the movie. Showers of red rose petals falling from the arena all add up to this fantasy-like world, and the car race at the end is fast-paced and exciting (If only we all had Utena cars!).

The whole movie provides lots of visual eye candy, be it the lush scenery and amazing backdrops, or the character designs themselves. The characters have all been updated, and most of them sport slightly new looks. Eyes are drawn much rounder on the younger characters, and give off this luminous air of innocence. The severe lines of characters found in the anime series are softened slightly into more rounded shapes, while the lines have given way to the sharp and impossibly beautiful architecture of the newly revamped Ohtori Academy.

Very little of the movie was done by computers. Thinking about how much time it must have taken to painstakingly animate this wonderful piece is simply mind boggling. Adolescence Mokushiroku really pushes the level of pure animation to a higher level.

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SOUND
Music was always a strong point in the tv series, and Adolescence Mokushiroku doesn't quite let down either musically. In reality, the music is not the strongest, but not quite weak either. There aren't really many tunes that stand out quite noticeably. There are some pretty songs to decorate the movie, most notably during the waltz sequence and of course, the duels, but most of the time the music just sort of fades into the background and doesn't quite pack a punch. Also, a new remix version of Rinbu Revolution starts to play at the climax of the story, towards the end of the car race sequence at the end of the movie, which I found really great.

The seiyuu have all returned with the exception of Akio, who has a new seiyuu (or actually, a singer) filling in the role. I found Utena's voice great, and the whole Student Council were really solid as well as usual. Unfortunately, I found the more higher pitched voices quite annoying (maybe it was just because the sound in the theatre was a tad too loud?), especially Shiori's. The most jarring voice at the beginning of the movie was actually Anthy's. It somehow did not seem to fit the new look for Anthy at first, who has a totally new personality in the movie. As the movie progresses, it becomes more normal and sort of grows on her.

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STORY
Now this is where things get complicated. As expected, you can expect the unexpected to happen in Utena. It is important to understand that the series and the events that happen in the movie all take place within their own world, and therefore you have to consider them within that context. The same rules we have here in our world do not apply to them. That aside, it is also quite important to know at least a little bit about the backgrounds of the various characters since they do not spend much time explaining who's who and their pasts. It is extremely easy to get lost in the movie if you do not comprehend the initial story.

Although the plot is based on the tv series, it takes most of the basic elements of the anime and then throws in its own twists and turns. Characters are related in different ways (such as Shiori and Touga sharing a relationship, Touga and Utena being boyfriend/girlfriend in the past, etc.). Some characters don't appear at all in the movie, but most of the cast is there, whether it be cameos and brief roles or major roles. As a stand-alone plot though, it is somewhat weak at certain points. Everyone is set back by their own personal vices as usual, and Utena, who learns to let go of her own personal vice, is able to bring a revolution.

There is some comic relief thrown in throughout various parts of the movie, such as the Shadow Girls new radio program on channel 81.4, hosted by E-ko and F-ko. Their antics, and many "scandalous" videos all serve up good laughs. Nanami the cow even gets to make a brief cameo, as well as Chu Chu in their own hilarious "scandalous" video. Some of the characters get to pack in some pretty good punch lines themselves throughout the movie.

As usual, the movie is packed chock-full of symbolism, and many seemingly irrational things happen quite often (such as Utena turning into a car at the climax of the movie). But again, this is Utena, and they don't follow our own set of rules. There are metaphors used, such as the car at the end of the movie. It is important to try and take in everything happening on the screen because if you blink, you might just miss something important.

Although it may be a bit hard to follow, this is a movie that you'll want to watch over and over again because it probes the mind.

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FINAL VERDICT
So was Adolescence Mokushiroku worth the stomach pains and the blistered feet? If you're an hardcore Utena fan, most DEFINITELY yes. Even if you're not an Utena fan, I would still recommend it if you enjoy quality animation, but prepared to be easily confused.

PS. Mr. Ikuhara is a rather...slim man. *LOL* But he's quite the adorable man.

PPS. Though there is nudity in the movie, they all amazingly have no nipples! NIPPLE-LESS BOOBS!